eva reviews things

philosophy

Aaaah Philosophy. I have a lot of memories tied up with this brand and their products. When I first started working at Sephora, Philosophy was just getting really big – probably due to the Oprah bump. It was one of my manager’s favourite brands, and we were encouraged to introduce their products as the first line of skin defense.

The goodies!

Purity, of course, is the original workhorse of facewashes. A gently foaming formula that is good for most skin types and purposes (but be careful around the eyes, this animal bites). Back in the days when I worked at Sephora, we used to use Purity to clean the brushes from the makeup stations. I loooove how it smells, but not how it feels. I don’t really use Purity as a facial cleanser, but it’s become a habit to use it as a beauty tool cleanser (I’m looking at you, grimy sponges).

Hope In A Jar is not for me either, but there’s something about the whipped texture of that moisturizer always gets people excited. After all, it was one of Oprah’s “Favourite Things!” Ergo, it serves as a fantastic gift for a fellow product junkie. In this case, mommy dearest. The Microdelivery Peel and Philosophy’s new fragrance Loveswept was also put aside for mom, which leaves only one product: Miracle Worker.

Miracle Worker is one of the products hitting the market that is reviving the retinol hype. It is billed as “miraculous anti-ageing retinoid pads” with “next-generation retinoid technology that helps maximise skin’s rejuvenation potential, while minimising the risk of irritation commonly associated with traditional retinols.” Outside of anti-ageing, many reviewers remarked that Miracle Worker eliminated blackheads and drastically decreased the size of their pores.

It comes in two parts – a bottle of oil, and a tub of 60 pads. You pour the oil onto the pads, allowing the product to be soaked up before use. One pad really does go a long way; I’m able to use one pad for the entire face, neck, and both hands and arms. The pads are honey-combed and a little bit abrasive, which gives an exfoliating effect. Philosophy recommends using Miracle Worker every day (with a healthy dose of sunscreen too!), which I did for a few weeks, before I decided to tone it down.

Why? Honestly, it was just too much exfoliation for my skin to handle. My cheeks began flaking and my entire face began to look a bit dull. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the product, just that I have sensitive skin. Miracle Worker definitely works. Of all the products I’ve used to close up those pesky pores, none has worked so well or so quickly as this one. Just don’t use it too much!